Title: Pushing the Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Publication/Year: Harlequin • 2012
Page Numbers: 329
Format: eBook
Synopsis from Goodreads:
SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER...AND YET SO RIGHT.My Rating: ★★★★★
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.
But when Noah Hutchins, the smokinghot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
Quote(s) I Like:
"My father checked his watch from the chair to my right and, on my left, the Wicked Witch of the West shifted impatiently. I was missing first period calculus, my father was missing some very important meeting and my stepmother from Oz? I'm sure she was missing her brain." - Echo
"When I say so. If you're going to make these sessions difficult, Mr. Emerson, I will be more than happy to call Echo's social worker." - Mrs. Collins
My Thoughts:
This is my first ever Katie McGarry book and I was totally in awe by how great the characters were, the dialogue, how I was taken into the world of Echo and Noah. Truly an outstanding piece of work. I definitely plan to continue reading more of her work.
Pushing the Limits follows two seemingly different high school students that happen to fell in love with one another. Echo, who is a smart student battling with her past and her present and Noah, who is battling for his brothers. These two somehow come together through the unseemly help of their counselor Mrs. Collins.
Echo's life was very complicated for her. She had a brother who died at war, a stepmother that used to be her favorite babysitter, a mother that tried to kill her, a father who wants to control her and friends who just want to stay popular. Echo started off like a brute to me, but as her story unfolded and things began to align I started to love her character. Despite her respect for her father and trying to be accepted by everyone she still had pain to deal with from the day her mother tried to kill. It took a lot for Echo to grow mentally and emotionally, but with the help of Noah and Mrs. Collins she grew.
Noah's life was just as hard as Echo's. His parents died in a fire and he with held the truth about it as a promise. He and his brothers ended up in Foster Care, but got separated when he beat his foster father up (he had a good reason to). Then he got separated from his brothers and their new foster parents tried to keep them from his two younger brothers. Noah was hurt, in pain and wanted so much more out of life. He wanted a family that he never had and with the help of Echo he found love and got help.
Echo and Noah's relationship started off fuzzy because they were from two different tracks, she was popular and he was a pothead, but somehow the attraction grew and through helping one another they got to find out more about each other AND find love.
I was totally captivated by this story and definitely hope to see more of Echo and Noah sometime soon.
The other characters in the story took me for a roller coaster ride because it seemed they didn't really care for the emotional and mental well being of Echo or tried to find out the truth behind her scars. I totally hated all her friends, expect for her best friend. Noah's friends were cool, but sometimes I wanted to seriously jump through the book and punch Biker Beth in the face for her smart remarks along with Echo's ex, Luke.
My favorite scene: when Noah fought Echo's ex, Luke, at Prom. Totally awesome!
I would definitely suggest this book to any one looking for a quick, entertaining YA Contemporary Romance.
Have you read this book?